


Defenders and Companions

by ElectricalSun



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Female Friendship, Fluff, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, Implied Relationships, Investigations, LGBT, M/M, Missing Persons, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Sword & Shield Spoilers, Pokemon Training, Post-Canon, Trains, Travel, adult au, queer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21837058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricalSun/pseuds/ElectricalSun
Summary: Piers is missing. Newly minted Galar Champion, Gloria, has been called by Marnie to perform her first official duty: find the former gym leader.Had Piers been shielding Marnie from the shady underbelly of Spikemuth? Will Leon quit crying on his boyfriend's shoulder in order step up and become the mentor Gloria needs? Will Gloria, herself, be able to prove to the world that she can be a Champion Galar can be proud of?[Adult!AU, RaiLeon, lots of leather jackets, and more!]
Relationships: Hop/Victor, Leon/Raihan, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Raihan/Leon, Raileon - Relationship, Victor/Hop
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

“What do you mean being a Pokémon Champion isn’t a ‘stable career choice’?” Gloria argued, turning to look out the window of her Wyndon apartment. The sun was beginning to set over the park across the quiet street below. This part of the city had been rather peaceful since her victory at the Champion Cup six months prior.

Her Rotom phone spun to face her, so that Gloria was forced to see her mother shake her head on the other end of the connection. “All I’m saying is… look, Gloria, see what happened to Leon?”

“Yeah,” she smirked. “ _I_ happened to him.”

Her mother sighed at the half-joke. “And what happens if you lose to some challenger next year? You know Steven’s always threatening to quit the Hoenn League and start challenging other regions.”

“Well, I’ll beat him, too,” Gloria offered, pulling the curtains shut.

“You’re going to beat Steven Stone? Seriously?”

“Exclusively using Steel-type Pokémon isn’t exactly a great strategy, Mum.”

“You’re not moving back in with me when someone takes your title.”

Gloria was growing impatient. “Leon only moved in with his family for, what, three months? He took the loss kind of hard, but he ended up doing fine, Mum. Now he’s living the high life in Hammerlocke, at least according to Raihan’s Instagram.

“I have a balanced team, a good number of sponsor deals, and _two legendary Pokémon_. And if this _still_ doesn’t work out, then I’ll find something else to do.”

“But—“

“Dad always supported me when I said I wanted to be a Champion.”

“Your father isn’t here, Gloria. And you were a little kid!” her mother’s voice caught in her throat and she took a deep breath. She looked tired. “At least tell me you’re eating okay.”

Gloria kicked an empty cup of instant ramen under her bed, even if her mother couldn’t see it. She was convinced she had some kind of six sense for messy houses. “Yup! Never been better.”

“Fine. I love you, you know. Take care of yourself out there,” her mother smiled wearily.

“I always have, Mum. And I love you, too.” Gloria waved and the connection was cut.

Gloria was tired, as well, these days, and these conversations with her mother always managed to make matters worse. Perhaps mentioning her father had been a cheap move on her part, but it wasn’t as though she had said anything untrue.

She stepped into the large master bathroom and filled the jacuzzi tub with hot water. Ravioli the Skitty tried to follow her as she laid out her towel.

“Want a bath?” Gloria asked. Ravioli hissed and bounced back into the bedroom.

Gloria’s laugh turned into a yawn as she quickly slipped into the bath. It was going to be an early night for her.

* * *

Gloria was awakened by the ringing of her phone. She sat up in bed, gently moving her house Skitty, and checked the time.

She waved her hand at her Rotom phone and the connection was activated. She squinted painfully at the brightness of the screen.

“M—Marnie?” she said, groggily.

“Were you sleeping, Gloria?” Marnie asked. She was dimly illuminated by streetlights in the road behind her.

“It’s… four-o-seven. I have a photoshoot at the Battle Tower in the morning.” Gloria dropped her alarm clock back onto her bedside table.

“I forgot Wyndon isn’t as much of a night city as Spikemuth. Sorry about that.” She paused. “Anyways, I called to ask if you’ve heard from Piers.”

“Not in the last few days, why?”

“He was supposed to come back from his trip last night, but when I got home from the gym he wasn’t at our place. I figured he was running late, but some things just seemed kind of… off.”

“What do you mean by ‘off’?”

Marnie took another moment to respond. “The door was unlocked. His bag with his wallet was on his bed, still completely packed.”

“That’s weird,” Gloria mused. “Did you try giving Raihan a call?”

“Texted him earlier. No dice.”

“Well, call the cops in the morning if he doesn’t show.”

Marnie huffed. “The Jennys don’t come out to the part of Galar.”

“Oh. Right,” Gloria said, thinking of reputation Spikemuth had earned for itself over the past few years.

“I’m sorry to keep you. You should get some rest,” Marnie said.

“Hey, call me tomorrow around lunchtime. I want you to keep me posted.”

“If I can’t find him tonight… Gloria, I’m going to have to ask for your help, both as a Gym Leader and as your friend.” Marnie’s eyes were reddening. “I’ll call you in the morning. ‘Night.” She cut the connection.

Gloria flopped back into bed, but sleep wouldn’t come to her. _That’s what I get for going to bed early_ , she thought. After twenty minutes of starting at the ceiling, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and scratched the back of her neck. She threw a shirt on over her bralette and slipped on her boots, smoothing out her pixie cut on the way towards the door. Halfway down the hall, she sharply turned back and grabbed her backpack from her bedroom.

It was the old leather bag her mother had given her as a teenager, when she had first begun training Pokémon in the Galar region. At that time it had been new and polished, a gift to soften the blow of having been uprooted from her home in Lillycove. But Gloria hadn’t thought about those days in a long time. If she wanted to, she could jump on a ship to Slateport or Dewford the next day. She had the money. She was twenty-four years old. Unfortunately, for Gloria, there was nothing left for her in Hoenn except a handful of painful memories.

She hesitated by a large matted print hanging in the living room of her apartment. An assortment of Gloria’s friends had posed for a group photo after her victory against Leon. In the center of the photo, Leon and Raihan were struggling to boost Gloria onto their shoulders. Her gaze shifted to focus on Piers’ face, arms hung around Marnie and Hop, beaming a rare smile.

“You better not have gotten yourself into any trouble,” Gloria said aloud. Heading towards the door.

Ravioli mewed at her, prompting her to stoop down and give her a kiss on her little head before heading out into the early morning.

* * *

Gloria scooped curry into her mouth. 24-hour cafés had been popping up in Wyndon over the prior year or so, which was perfect for a newly minted celebrity like herself. Eating something other than instant noodles and handfuls of oran berries by herself in the apartment was a blessing, between overly-enthusiastic fans and her busy schedule. She really wished she could have a meal with a friend once in a while, but this was the life she chose: photoshoots, exhibition battles, and hiding from the paparazzi.

The waitress looked bored as she refilled Gloria’s glass of water.

“Where’s the photoshoot this morning?” she asked.

Gloria answered in between mouthfuls of rice. “By the Ferris wheel.” Rice. “Glad I don’t have to travel.” More rice. “I can’t sleep on trains.”

The waitress nodded and walked back into the kitchen, Pokeball printed dress swishing behind her.

Gloria took a big gulp of water. Her Rotom phone buzzed and she rolled her eyes, glass still to her lips.

She looked down at the screen. _Oh, it’s just a text._

[Meet me at the Vault in thirty. Come alone.]

It was Piers.

Gloria’s raised her eyebrows and wiped her fingers on a napkin before replying.

[Piers, Marnie has been looking for you. What vault?]

Gloria stared at her reply before sending. Clearly, Piers had sent the text to the wrong person, but it was worth a shot to get ahold of him, if only for the sake of Marnie’s sanity. Gloria took a screenshot and sent it to Marnie.

She waited for five minutes for a reply from either sibling. This time she ate her curry slowly, one eye glued to her phone. She tried calling Piers. Of course, there was no answer.

Gloria sent the screenshot of her texts with Piers to both Hop and Victor, but both were likely still asleep.

[Any clue what’s going on with Piers? Marnie doesn’t know where he went off to.]

Worry began to turn in Gloria’s stomach. She rested her head against the back of the vinyl booth, leaving the last quarter of her meal untouched. The sun began to rise over the sleeping city outside the café windows, and Gloria began to wonder if maybe being Champion was a larger responsibility than she had anticipated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I left my draft at work right before quarantine.

Gloria struck a pose, her black leather pants clinging tightly against her legs. Even though it was a hot day in Wyndon, the spring snows finally having melted weeks prior, the _Poke Battle Monthly_ photographer had chosen some uncomfortably warm clothing. An assistant ran over between camera flashes and dabbed Gloria’s forehead with a paper towel. She hadn’t realized she had been sweating enough for it to be visible in the shot.

“Ugh, what the hell am I wearing? I’m pretty sure competitive battlers don’t care about _fashion_ ,” Gloria muttered to Leon, who was posed beside her.

The former champion chuckled. “You think that’s bad? They’re making me wear my tailcoat _and_ jabot.”

“Your what?” Gloria put her arm around Leon’s shoulder at the instruction of the photographer.

“Jabot. The thing around my neck.”

The photographer was getting impatient. “Less talking please!” he shouted form behind the camera.

Leon and Gloria finished the morning’s shoot in silence, sweating into the midday heat until the photographer called a break for lunch.

Leon shoved half a sandwich into his mouth. “Rayiins onghif waiy.”

“OK, but I have no idea what you’re trying to tell me.” Gloria said, stirring her Tamato soup lazily. “Both you and Hop are always talking with your mouths full.”

Leon gulped his mouthful of food before replying. “I said ‘Raihan’s on his way’.”

“Oooh. Are you two going on a date?”

“Just grabbing at a chance to get out of Hammerlocke for a while.” Leon examined the plateful of sandwiches and chose a second one. “He’s been talking about an exhibition match with you for a while.”

“I can have my manager book something at the stadium, but I might be going out of town for a little while.”

Leon took a sip from his water bottle. Both he and Gloria seemed to be a bit cooler after changing into appropriate summer wear. “Don’t tell me you’re looking for Piers.”

“I’m worried. Marnie’s worried. We need to do something.”

“From what his text said, it sounds like he might be in Hammerlocke. Wish I’d known before I left.”

A hand clapped Gloria’s shoulder, startling her. She dropped her nearly empty soup bowl on the sidewalk. “Hey kid!” Raihan smirked. “Oh, hell, I didn’t mean to scare you that bad.” He stooped down and picked up the bowl.

“Hell, Raihan,” Gloria muttered. “Don’t do that.” She dabbed at her sundress with a paper napkin.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Hey, so about that rematch…”

“You have Glen’s phone number? He can schedule a match, but I don’t think I will be free for the next couple of weeks.”

Raihan’s brow furrowed. “Yeah? You have plans or something?”

Leon jumped in before Gloria could reply. “She’s going after Piers.”

“On your own?” Raihan asked.

“Probably. I mean, unless you guys are interested in helping me.”

Raihan scratched his chin. “You know I have responsibilities in Hammerlocke. But if I can pull any strings to help you out along the way, just let me know.”

Gloria turned to Leon as the former Champion signed. “I don’t know if I can commit to joining in, but I’ll give Hop a call. We were talking about Pierce’s disappearance just this morning. He’s pretty ‘ride or die’, so I’m sure he’ll help you out.” Gloria wasn’t surprised he wasn’t excited about helping her. He had been rather down since he lost his Champion title, though their friendship hadn’t faded. Leon was just… not himself.

“I’ll give Hop a call this evening. We were texting right before you met up with me. I might actually catch the train to Hammerlocke with you two.”

Raihan took a lazy bite out of a Pecha berry. “Why Hammerlocke?”

“Piers texted me… or texted _whoever_ , that he wanted to meet at ‘the vault’. Ring any bells?” Gloria asked, stooping down to get something from the cooler under the refreshment table. She pressed an unopened can of diet soda against her forehead before cracking it open.

“Hey, I’m just catching up, give me a break. So the Hammerlocke vault is your only lead so far.”

“Pretty much. I spoke with Marnie for about five minutes before we started eating. No new info on her end.”

The photographer’s assistant began waving at the group, pointing towards the curtained changing booth she had set up.

“Looks like it’s time to get going,” Gloria said flatly.

“See you at dinner,” Leon said to Raihan, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Raihan responded by grabbing Leon by the arms and pulling him into a much deeper embrace, arms falling over his shoulders as their mouths locked together. Leon flushed red and Gloria suddenly felt intrusive, even if the couple _was_ shamelessly public in their affection. She felt a touch of envy. Dating wasn’t exactly her strong suit.

Leon caught up to Gloria when she was approaching the changing booth. “Ew, you have Raihan cooties,” she teased.

Leon blushed. “S-shut up.”

Gloria’s smirk didn’t fade as the assistant handed her the clothes for the second part of the shoot and pulled the curtain closed behind her.

* * *

Eating curry during the day didn’t seem right to Gloria, but Raihan had already booked a reservation a few blocks Gloria’s apartment, and a real meal would be welcome after the long photoshoot. Leon and Raihan grew up on curry, lived by curry, and could probably somehow die by curry.

“You guys want to come over and have a few drinks? I have a minibar. Freshly stocked,” Gloria asked as Raihan signed the check. He had insisted on paying for everyone, and the three were in a good mood after filling up on spicy sausage curry.

Leon was practically sweating from how hot the meal had been. They had ordered family-style, but the former champ had failed to keep pace with the others. “Well, we were originally going to take the ten o’clock train to Hammerlocke, but since you’ll be coming with us, we might as well put it off until tomorrow. We should be able to find a hotel room since it’s the off season.”

“You could always stay in my second bedroom,” Gloria offered. I haven’t decided what I want to do with it, yet, so it still has all the furniture from when I moved in.”

“Oh thank Arceus, I hate hotel bedsheets,” Raihan said.

“He has sensitive skin,” Leon whispered across the table. Gloria snorted at the irony of a Dragon-type fanatic breaking out in a rash from linens.

“Am I allowed to have _any_ secrets anymore?” Raihan joked.

The three laughed as they strolled outside of the restaurant, several customers stealing glances as they passed by.

The streetlight illuminated the summer evening as they strolled along the edge of the park. A Kricketune cried in the distance. May had blown in with a warm winds, reminding Gloria of her childhood on the coast. She trailed behind her friends, taking a moment to admire a Rawst berry bush that grew along the sidewalk around the corner from her building. Leon and Raihan walked ahead, hand in hand.

“Hey, Gloria?” Raihan suddenly said as they made the turn towards her building.

“Yeah?” Gloria said, straightening.

“Someone’s here for you, I think.”

Gloria jogged to catch up with the couple. “Who? What?” she asked.

“Isn’t that Marnie?” Leon asked, nodding in the direction of the front door of the building.

A young woman stood outside. She was a bit taller than average— lithe, with bobbed black hair. She clutched her leather jacket around her, not noticing the group. Hovering by the locked doorway, she looked like she was deciding whether she wanted to push the buzzer in front of her.

“M-Marnie? What are you doing here?” Gloria called, walking to the young woman.

Marnie startled, instinctively taking a step back. She relaxed when she saw the friendly faces.

“I was comin’ to see you. I didn’t know if you wanted to be bothered,” she replied, regaining her composure.

“No, no, of course I don’t mind.” Gloria said. “Just surprised to see you, is all.”

Marnie didn’t say anything. She observed Gloria for a moment, then glanced to the couple standing behind her. Gloria followed her line of sight.

“We’re actually heading to Hammerlocke tomorrow morning.” Gloria continued. “You just came through that way, right?”

“I wasn’t planning on stayin’ too long. Until three or four in the morning at most, but that’s late for you, huh?”

Gloria scanned her fob on the pad next to the door and the glass slid open. “Let’s go inside. I’m sorry I don’t have much new info. We’re going to have a drink, if you want to go over anything again.”

“We don’t need to talk about it right now. I… I just don’t want to be alone. The house is so empty. I made my way out to Wyndon, just to be around some folks who aren’t part of Team Yell.” Marnie said, boots trailing along the carpeted lobby floor. They paused outside of the elevator and Leon pressed the call button.

Gloria offered a reassuring smile to Marnie. “Oh?”

“And then I thought of you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A train ride to Hammerlocke is interrupted by a surprise visitor!

Gloria awoke the following morning, not quite hung over, but a bit dehydrated. She rolled over the grab her water bottle from her nightstand, only to be startled to find she was not alone in her bed. Fortunately, the mop of black hair was familiar. Gloria sighed in relief as she remembered insisting that Marnie not suffer on the living room couch if her own bed could fit two comfortably without touching. She reached over her sleeping friend and grabbed the bottle before sliding out of bed to finish packing her bag.

Twenty minutes later coffee was ready, Marnie and Gloria were dressed, and Gloria was banging on the door of the guest bedroom.

“Let’s go! Train leaves in an hour!”

Leon practically dragged Raihan into the living room, only the promise of fresh coffee rousing a sleeping dragon. He pulled on his sweatshirt from the prior day, and swung a messenger bag over his shoulder as Leon handed it to him.

Gloria stuck a sticky note the fridge for the maid service. “PLEASE FEED SKITTY,” it read, a generous tip paper clipped to the corner. She poured some coffee into a paper cup, slapped a lid on it, and handed it to Raihan. “The cab will be here soon.”

It was a thirty minute cab ride to Wyndon Station, forty with traffic, and the train to Hammerlocke pulled into the station as soon as Leon had purchased the tickets from the counter.

Fifteen minutes later, Raihan was once again asleep, this time slumped against a dozing Leon in the train seat facing Gloria and Marnie.

“This ride is always longer than it looks on the map,” Marnie muttered to no one in particular, watching marshy spring fields on northern Galar fly past the windows.

“Everyone forgets about how long those switchbacks in the mountains take. We should be in time to get lunch when we get into Hammerlocke,” Gloria replied, putting down her Rotom phone. 

“Are you really thinking of eating right now, with all that’s been happening?” Marnie asked, not unkindly.

“After the Vault is fine. We need to keep our strength— hang on, are we stopping?“ Gloria said. The train was decelerating, faster than it would when coming into a station. Someone must have pulled the emergency break.

As the train came to a full stop, the intercom pinged above the passengers’ heads.

“We apologize for the inconvenience, but there appears to be a… an obstruction… on the tracks ahead of us. We will get moving as soon as the obstruction is cleared and we reset the emergency breaks.”

Whispering broke out throughout the train car, but no one seemed concerned enough to speak up when the conductor walked down the center aisle, headed towards the front of the train.

Raihan stirred partially awake for a moment. “Wait, what’s going on?”

“Somethin’ on the tracks. It’s nothin’ to worry about,” Marnie replied.

Raihan took this as a sign to fall back asleep against Leon’s shoulder. Leon had since passed out and hadn’t woken, despite the commotion.

“Might as well go to the restroom if we’re going to be here for a while,” Gloria said, standing up.

Marnie stood, “I’ll join you. I should stretch my legs.”

The two young women made their way forward several cars, following the curve of the train along the switchback they had stopped on.

“Woah,” Marnie said, suddenly halting in front of Gloria. Something had caught her eye through the train windows.

“What the hell is that?” Gloria leaned over one of the seats to get a better look.

A giant block of granite was blocking the tracks, only a hundred meters or so in front of the train. At least, it _looked_ like a block of granite. No, many blocks of granite forming a squat, tower-like structure. A tower-like structure that was beginning to glow.

“That’s definitely not normal,” Marnie said.

Gloria tried the door at the front of the car. It slid open with little effort, likely due to the emergency break having been activated.

“We’re goin’ to check it out, aren’t we?” Marnie asked.

“Yup,” Gloria responded, hopping out the train and holding out her hand to help Marnie down.

They walked along the wide switchback, boots squelching in the wet string mud. Gloria caught the eyes of curious passengers from forward cars as they walked towards the front of the train. The conductor stood by the doors to the locomotive, staring at the mass of glowing rocks further along the tracks. From distance, Gloria could see the form of a man in overalls standing before the obstruction.

“Crazy bastard is actually yelling at a brick wall,” muttered the conductor.

“Who’s that?” asked Gloria.

The conductor turned to face them. “Paul. Well, the engineer. He’s completely lost the plot over this one; stops like that are bad for the train.”

“Gloria, look.” Marnie pointed to the mass of glowing rocks.

“Oh, it’s gone and sprung an eye now. Lovely!” the conductor squawked. His attention turned back to the young women as they trudged on towards Paul. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Just going to take a look. We can handle ourselves,” Gloria said with a wave of her hand.

The countryside flattened and widened as they drew closer to Paul and the one-eyed obstruction. Gloria and Marnie were only about ten meters behind Paul when the mass of rocks before them began to vibrate.

Gloria halted. “Are those…”

“Legs,” Marnie said flatly.

They sprinted the rest of the way, falling on either side of Paul. “What the hell is that thing?” he stammered.

Just then, Gloria’s pocket began to vibrate. She pulled out her Rotom phone and it flew in front of her.

“Rotom, Pokedex function please,” Gloria said.

Rotom buzzed and an image of the obstruction— legs, eye, glowing blue aura and all— appeared on the screen. “ **Stakataka, the Rampart Pokémon. It appeared from an Ultra Wormhole. Each one appears to be made up of many life-forms stacked one on top of each other. When stone walls started moving and attacking, the brute's true identity was this mysterious life-form, which brings to mind an Ultra Beast.** ”

“’Brings to mind’? Well, is it an Ultra Beast or is it a Pokémon?” Marnie asked.

“I don’t think it matters at this point,” Gloria said. She turned to Paul. “Go back to the train,” Gloria sternly instructed. “We can handle it from here.”

All the fight left in Paul vanished as the Stakataka’s eye multiplied. It took a shaking step forward, quaking the ground. The engineer turned and ran for his life.

Gloria and Marnie took several careful steps backwards.

“Constantine, let’s see what we can do here,” Gloria said, tossing a Pokée Ball in front of her. A Sirfetch’d appeared from the light of the ball, a shining leak rapier in its wing.

“Ok, let’s play it safe. Iron Defense.” Gloria said to Constantine. A sheen overtook the Pokémon’s feathers as it hardened against any physical blows that may come its way.

“Want to make it a double?” asked Marnie, pulling out one of her own Poké Balls.

Gloria shook her head. “Hold off for now. I don’t want to risk provoking it into a frenzy. I heard you have to be careful with these Ultra Beasts.”

The Stakataka began to glow more brightly. A ball of light formed before its forward-facing eye, seeing to warp the air around it.

“Constantine, dodge that Flash Cannon!” Gloria shouted.

Constantine obeyed, evading laterally as a beam of pure steel energy burned a shallow crater into the ground where its target once stood.

“Leaf Blade!” Gloria followed through. Constantine struck the Ultra Beast head-on (brick-on) with its massive leak. The Stakataka was clearly damaged, but was nowhere near ready to retreat. Before Consantine could back out, its opponent smashed the Sirfetch’d with one of its surprisingly agile legs, slamming it to the ground.

Constantine was clearly fazed, but jumped back up, eager to continue the battle.

“Hang in there!” Gloria called out. “Get away from the legs. Try jumping on top!”

Constantine hopped onto one of the ridges along Stakataka’s corners and landed on the flat portion atop the creature. 

“Hmm, I don’t know if that’s a good—“ Marnie was cut off my the wild stamping of Stakataka’s legs as it bucked wildly, attempting to throw the Sirfetch’d off its back.

“Oh no, the train!” Gloria shouted, looking back to see a group of onlookers creeping away from the train and towards the impromptu battle between the region Champion and a mythic creature never seen before outside of Alola. Several of them seemed to be recording with their Rotom phones.

The Stakataka stomped several steps to the right, then to the left. It lurched forward, and Gloria and Marnie turned and sprinted out of the way, waving off the crowd with flailing arms. They made it about twenty yards before Marnie caught her foot on a rock hidden in the mud and fell with a thud on the ground. Gloria turned back, just in time to see the massive creature of living stone reeling backwards on two legs above her friend, ready to strike.

**Author's Note:**

> **Tags will be updated as new content is revealed.**
> 
> Please share your comments! I want to know what you think happens next ;)


End file.
